The family of a British woman killed a year ago in Japan appealed to police and the public today for help in finding her suspected killer.

The body of Lindsay Hawker, 22, was found bound with tape and half-buried in a sand-filled bath tub on the balcony of an apartment in Ichikawa, east of Tokyo last year. She was an English teacher at a private language school.

The prime suspect, Tatsuya Ichihashi, has been on the run since the body was found at his apartment.

"She came to this country to teach, not to be murdered," her father, Bill Hawker, told a news conference, holding a photograph of his daughter. Then he said in Japanese, pointing at a police poster showing the suspect, "Please find this man."

The victim's elder sister, Lisa, said in a message in Japanese to the wanted man: "You've taken a precious life and destroyed many more. You've taken away my sister, who was my best friend, and broken our hearts. Ichihashi, please atone for your crime."

The Hawkers, who arrived in Japan on Monday, plan to meet with Japanese police and distribute leaflets with a photo of the suspect in the town where Lindsay was last seen alive.